Death From Above Jackalope
by J1NX3R
Summary: A Mechwarrior: Age of Destruction story; Clan Jade Falcon MechWarrior pilots a modified Jackalope into battle. Please be nice, this is my first fic.


**Mechwarrior: Death From Above**

**By J1NX3R**

**Planet Classified, Somewhere in the JFOZ, 1 year after Malvina Hazen's rise to power.**

"Star Commander Fry, move your 'mechs into position n--...!" Static explodes across the radio as a massive volley of PPC fire is exchanged between the gleaming Jade Falcon 'mechs and the mixed 'mech and armor forces of the Federated Commonwealth attack force. At least one 'mech is fatally wounded in the exchange, and a huge explosion, followed by a black pall of smoke, rises over the trees.

"The Davion surats are pushing through to the-_Stravag_!" Another explosion rocks the battlefield.

I follow my Star Commander through the heavily wooded section of the forest, where only our Star's light and medium 'mechs can travel, making sure to keep the entire Star within the coverage of my 'mech's AMS.

Besides Star Commanders Fry's _Gyrfalcon_ and my captured _Jackalope_, our Star consists of _Eyries_, and we have been ordered to flank outside the Spheroid advance and strike against their slower tank column.

Off to my left, almost a kilometer out, I see the enemy flank patrol approach.

Spotting us, one of the enemy 'mechs, which my computer identifies as an _Enforcer III_, turns and jumps toward my Star, its jump jets igniting the trees as it lifts off. The other members of my Star try to lock their ATM-3s onto the approaching 'mech, but before they can fire, a pair of azure PPC blasts leap from the ground and into the unarmored back of the flying _Enforcer III_, ripping it apart in a fiery explosion.

Star Captain Sheila's _Shrike_ rises from a crouch only a hundred meters away from where the other members of the flanking Lance are seemingly frozen in surprise, and waves the huge claw on her 'mech's right arm before turning to blast away at another _Enforcer III_.

By the time we pass out of sight, the second 'mech is a burning hulk, and Star Captain Sheila is tearing into the two remaining 'mechs.

"This is Star Commander Fry," My Star Commander announces as we near the projected path of the armor column, "My Star is in position, and ready to attack."

We are now several kilometers from the main body of the fighting, and only the pillars of smoke are visible on the horizon.

"Worthless jungle world." One of my fellow 'Mechwarriors comments. Jen, the newest member of the Star, has commented regularly that our posting here is beyond useless, but I know better. We are here because Khan Malvina Hazen didn't trust us enough to give us frontline duty, but still had use for us.

"Finish them quickly, Star Commander, and good hunting." The order is nearly washed out by the noise of explosions around the person speaking, but Star Commander Fry understands it easily enough.

My battle computer comes alive with targets, and a group of them flashes red, showing that they are my targets.

"Mechwarrior Dav," My Star Commander says, "You will destroy the Condor tanks at the front of the Column while we focus on the heavy tanks. When you have finished with your targets, return at once to give anti-missile support. Quiaff?"

"Aff!" I acknowledge, and immediately push my _Jackalope_ into a sprint toward the clearing ahead, the rest of the Star hot on my heels.

I burst through the tree line moving at almost 100kph, and come out almost on top of the Condor tanks. I loose a flight of Advanced Tactical missiles into the nearest one, then pound fire from my medium lasers into a second.

I pass through the clearing in seconds, and dive into the trees on the far side, leaving two burning, gutted tanks nearly blocking the path. I set my radio to receive the Spheroid battle chatter as I turn my 'mech for another attack.

"What's that? Wyvern 1 and 3 are destroyed? But we're not close to the fighting…Ahh! Attackers on the left flank!"

I hear the resounding crashes of missiles and autocannon as the rest of my Star engages the heavy tanks in the middle of the column, and I drive my 'mech back out of the trees once more to find that both of the remaining Condor tanks are facing away from me, at the point where I had originally come from.

One of the vehicle's gunners notices my 'mech, and starts to crank the SRM turret around, but is stopped-permanently-when I fire my lasers.

I rake laser blasts across both tanks as fast as they will recycle, feeling only the slightest change in cockpit temperature, as the Clan enhancements in my 'mech shunt the heat through the heat sink wings that were taken from a scrapped _Eyrie_.

Both tanks explode spectacularly, along with their crews.

With the tanks taken care of, and the column bottlenecked, I turn and run my 'mech along the supply vehicles, firing lasers into any trucks that look like they have troops or ammunition in them.

A few brilliant fireballs with magnificent secondary explosions are evidence that at least a couple of the trucks hold explosives.

I regroup with the rest of my Star to find it winning, but wounded. Enough pieces to account for a Lance of heavy tanks lay scattered across the clearing, but two of the _Eyries_ have been wrecked.

One of them wandered out in front of the tanks and was picked apart by the AC-10s mounted on the tanks. There aren't even enough whole parts to salvage. The other _Eyrie_ is slumped against the trees on the edge of the clearing, on fire with all its CASE panels blown out. The mangled remains of a mixed SRM and flamer team offer silent explanation as to the evens that lead to the second _Eyrie's_ destruction.

At the same time that I notice a scout VTOL on my radar, a missile alert sounds loud in my cockpit speakers, and I engage my 'mech's AMS, intercepting the entire flight of LRMs before they get close enough to do harm. A few fragments of the destroyed missiles ricochet off my _Jackalope's_ hull.

Before the smoke from the missiles has a chance to dissipate, Star Commander Fry fires the Ultra AC-2s on his _Gyrfalcon's_ arms, sending a stream of high-velocity slugs that shred the lightly armored VTOL.

Mechwarrior Jen, the only surviving _Eyrie_ pilot, suddenly shouts a warning.

"I am engaging a Freebirth _Timberwolf_!" Both Star Commander Fry and I spin out 'mechs to face Jen just in time to see her _Eyrie_, perched atop a gutted tank, fire a full volley of ATMs and both lasers. The missiles splash across the torso of the 75-ton _Timberwolf_, or "_Mad_ _Cat_" as it is known to the Inner Sphere, sending armor fragments spinning away, while the lasers dig into a knee joint.

The _Timberwolf_ responds with a single heavy large laser, which ripped the right-arm missile pod free of the torso and ignited all the remaining missiles.

"Fall back, Mechwarrior." Star Commander Fry orders, and charges forward, his Ultra AC-2s and Medium Lasers spitting flaming death.

As the Star Commander flanks right, I go left, sprinting to get within range for my missiles and lasers.

Star Commander Fry expends the last of his AC-2 rounds covering Mechwarrior Jen's retreat, and closes in to best laser range.

The heavy 'mech fires a linked blast from its lasers, striking the _Gyrfalcon_ low in the torso, freezing both of its hip joints and causing the 'mech to topple.

The Spheroid is seems as if he is about to finish the Star Commander off when he notices me. I fire both my lasers and my missiles, and continue firing as I run my 'mech closer.

He fires a laser at me before his torso finishes swinging to face me, and it just barely misses, passing just above the cockpit and frying my anti-missile system.

My missiles strike true on the _Timberwolf's_ torso, and the armor-piercing warheads cut deep into the internal workings of the giant 'mech.

I focus my laser fire on one of the 'mech's legs until I finally burn away enough armor and myomer, and the leg slumps.

But then the _Timberwolf_ has turned to face me, and every weapon he possesses is trained on my puny light 'mech.

Seeing no other way out, I fire a final laser salvo at the Timberwolf's cockpit, and light my jump jets.

His laser blasts barely graze my _Jackalope's_ legs as I jump, and his missiles can't turn fast enough to follow me.

As I soar through the air on a pillar of flame, I see the _Timberwolf's_ pilot trying to turn his 'mech's body so he can shoot me when I land.

But I am not jumping past him.

I am jumping on him.

His last words are clear over the radio, which is still set to receive enemy chatter…

"My God, It's a _Jackalope_ with wings!"

Death from Above, Freebirth.

Death from Above…

Author's Notes: This story was inspired in part by a modified Mechwarrior: Age of Destruction figure (Thank you again, Zec, for tacking those sick and wrong Jade Chicken wings on my Thumper _Jackalope_-It's still my favorite unit), and partly by a series of battles in which I used the DFA+The Jade Falcon Faction Pride more times than is healthy(My thanks to Zec, Dean, Andrew, Dan, Harrison, and all the other players who didn't wring my neck when I showed up every week with a new "Pogo Stick" army).

I have no justification for why the Feddies would jump into the JFOZ, but I enjoy any excuse to paste the raping, pillaging, murdering, bastards(Oops. Sorry, Dean).

This is a oneshot, but I might continue it someday…

Clan Jade Falcon Rules!!


End file.
